Curate Your Own Adventure

The second museum I visited in Melbourne was the Immigration Museum. I have visited in the past so won’t be focusing on the general museum for this post. Instead, I want to share my experience of their new exhibition, Joy. This exhibition contains seven installations, reflecting on the meaning of joy. There was one installation in particular I was very excited to see – more on that later. I’m going to jump right in to reviewing the installations and will provide visitor information at the end.

Nadia Hernandez – Que te puedo decir, asi son las cosas

This is the only installation for Joy on the ground floor of the Museum. It consists of a series of vignettes covering the walls. They tell stories of family connections and cultural traditions. Joy is represented here as ‘everydayness’ or the small moments everyday that can often be taken for granted. The bold colours used in the vignettes help to communicate this feeling of joy and help them to stand out in the space.

Spencer Harrison – Bring It to the Runway, Runway

The rest of the installations are located on Level 2, starting with Spencer Harrison’s Bring It to the Runway, Runway. As the name suggests, the installation consists of a long runway with dangling coloured jewels hanging from the ceiling. Harrison has created this work to reflect drag, nightclubs and fashion runways. In his words he also wants to ‘queer the architecture of the gallery’. I will say here that the use of colour by all artists was, for me, most powerful and what I best remember. My friend and I took the opportunity to walk the stunning runway before heading in to the next installation.

Callum Preston – Video Land

Out of all the installations, this one was my highlight. I resonated greatly with the aim of the artist and their interpretation of joy. Preston has created a video store to transport visitors back to a time before social media and streaming. A time when visiting a video store was something so normal. Similar to the artist, I too didn’t realise how much I missed this experience and the joy I had when browsing through the aisles. I spent a substantial amount of time in this installation doing my own browsing and sitting with the memories I have of my own childhood. I really enjoyed looking through the VHS tapes as well and seeing all the films on display. I was looking forward to this installation the most and it did not disappoint. The use of colour and the attention to detail is what really sold the trip down nostalgia-lane.

Jazz Money – Our Laughter Will Become the Waterfall

Behind the VHS store is this beautiful installation by Jazz Money. Through her work, Money highlights how joy and laughter can be radical acts for oppressed groups. The yellow house in the middle invites visitors to crouch down and see/hear what’s happening inside. There is a looped audio track of people laughing and having fun. Joy can occur anywhere – public or private.

Beci Orpin – Bunny Dearest

The first sentence of the label for this installation hits hard – ‘as we become older, joy becomes harder to find’. As you enter the room, you are greeted by some stickers on the wall and a giant, soft rabbit. Orpin invites visitors to climb onto the rabbit and remember what it was like to be a child again. It was another strong nostalgia trip and while I thought the rabbit would be scary, it was actually comforting.

Elyas Alavi with Sher Ali – In seach of the Simurgh

This is the second last installation we saw. It tells the story of Simurgh – a mystical giant bird from ancient Persian legend. The story includes themes of migration and strength. These speak to the artist’s migration experience. Again, there is a mention of the importance of colour. Bright colours reflecting happiness, togetherness and connection filled the space.

Nixi Killick – Joy Generator

The final joyous installation is one filled to the brim with colour. In the middle of the room is a joy generator – or a large colourful pillar with lights and interactive elements. You can use your phone for an augmented reality element but I was happy to just sit in the room and take in all the colour. Killick created this work to ‘immerse ourselves in positive storytelling’ and as an opportunity for visitors to spark their own joy.

Logistical Information

Joy is currently on display until 25 August 2025. The Museum is open daily (except Good Friday and Christmas Day) between 10am and 5pm. There is an entrance fee if you are an adult or a senior. For accessibility information, follow this link: https://museumsvictoria.com.au/immigrationmuseum/plan-your-visit/accessibility.

I strongly recommend you also visit the permanent exhibition galleries and interact with those spaces.